Chapter 26: Busking
Late at night, Kai lay in his motel bed, staring at the dim moonlight.
When he'd passed that slaughterhouse wharf at dusk, the "Death Aura" had flooded him. He'd been terrified he was going to pass out or "level up" right there in the street. Based on his past experience—the tall grass, the tree branch, Butch's healed wounds—he knew that when his body "matured," it released some kind of energy that warped the environment.
If that had happened in public, the news would have eventually reached people he'd rather avoid.
Like the Kakin agents still on this island.
He'd hurried back to the motel... but nothing happened. He didn't feel faint, he didn't "transform."
So the only rule is that there are no rules? It's adaptive?
Kai sat up, grabbed the sleeping Rock Sparrow, and stroked its head. "Note to self: Slaughterhouses, fish markets, and hospitals... all 'high-risk' zones. Avoid."
He ignored the bird's sleepy, annoyed chirps and went back to planning.
His thoughts, however, were immediately pulled back to his other set of eyes... the ones currently watching Shizuku.
She... does look pretty good from behind...
Kai shook his head, scrubbed his face, and fell back onto the pillow.
He'd gotten a taste of her real strength today, even if it was through Butch's body. He hated to admit it, but... right now, Shizuku was stronger.
Sleep. Train. Repeat.
[THE NEXT DAY]
In the Pale Moon Tiger reserve, the five freelance Hunters gathered at their rendezvous point to share intel.
"Kakin royalty... ancient history... a secret tomb. It all adds up."
That was their conclusion. But after a full day of sneaking around, they hadn't found a single clue.
"Where's the girl? Where's Shizuku?"
"Hah, knew she was unreliable. Cute, but..."
"Probably got lost. Or caught."
The group's leader, an Emitter named Dako, held up his hand. "Let's wait. Until noon."
The four others respected Dako, so they shut up, scattered, and hid.
They waited. And waited.
Just as the sun passed its zenith, Shizuku finally appeared, ambling through the trees.
The group's anger flared, but Dako stopped them. "You're late, Shizuku. That's not professional."
"Late?" Shizuku looked at them, confused. "Didn't you guys go back to the hotel to rest?"
The... hotel?
All five men felt their blood pressure spike. "You... you just went home? We were supposed to meet!"
Shizuku just blinked. "No, we weren't. I don't remember that."
Fists clenched. Dako took a deep breath. She wasn't lying. She genuinely didn't remember. They thought she'd forget the time or place. They didn't realize she'd forget the entire meeting.
"Caw, caw..."
"Kai-Crow," perched on a branch above, couldn't help but cackle.
He remembered this from the manga. Shizuku's memory was... selective. She could forget a major event (like her arm-wrestling match with Gon) in five minutes, but she was also the Troupe's strictest rule-keeper, the "class monitor" who never forgot a single one of Chrollo's orders.
The two "Kai-Crows" just kept following her.
Kai's main body spent the morning drilling his Hatsu—both Manipulation and Emission.
His bird-scouts were busy:
Team Shizuku: Getting her used to their presence.
Team Kakin: Still watching Babimaina's team from a safe distance.
Team Zodiac: ...He'd already recalled them. Kanzai and Sloe were just in boring meetings.
At noon, he snuck out of town and met Butch at their training spot. A few minutes later, Menchi and Ginta arrived, Menchi carrying a huge basket of food.
"Haha, I saved room," Kai grinned. "Don't be shy. Get cooking."
"Who's the one being shy, huh?" Menchi shot back, but she was already happily prepping the food.
After they all ate—including Butch and Rock Sparrow—the training began.
Kai pushed himself, holding Ken until his Aura was empty, resting just long enough for his Star Marker to kick in, and then doing it all over again.
He was relentless.
Menchi was shocked. Even Ginta, a veteran, was unnerved.
A kid his age shouldn't have this kind of willpower, Ginta thought. But... his growth rate is abnormal.
Normally, it took a month of hellish training to increase your Ken time by 10 minutes (600 Aura). That was about 20 Aura per day.
In one day, Ginta had watched Kai's Ken time increase by three and a half minutes. A 200-Aura jump.
Ten times the normal training efficiency.
Is it that recovery Hatsu he has? Ginta wondered. Or... is it possible his body and Aura were somehow reverted to a child's state... and he's not 'training,' he's 'recovering'?
Menchi didn't bother with analysis. She'd tried to copy Kai's routine and had collapsed two hours ago. She was still trembling. "You're a monster," she panted.
Kai, toweling off his sweat, just grinned. "Well, this monster has a monster's appetite. Get ready for tomorrow."
"Yeah, yeah," Menchi grumbled, and she and Ginta left.
On the way back, she suddenly said, "Ginta... I have an idea for my Hatsu."
"Oh?"
"I'm not going to lose to him!" she declared.
That night, in the amusement park, Kai was eating his way through a food stall.
His cash was running low. He needed a way to make some money.
I don't really have any skills, he thought. Just... this.
Maybe I should try busking?
(End of Chapter)